Sonos says customers that got extra speakers don’t have to send them back

Sonos has confirmed that customers who received extra, unordered devices as a result of a recent software glitch don’t need to return the speakers. “Sonos does not require the return of extra equipment and respects the decision of each impacted customer,” said spokesperson Madeline Krebs. “We have and will continue to be in full compliance with FTC requirements.”

A summary of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) requirements are outlined on the US agency’s website. “You never have to pay for things you get but didn’t order,” the website reads. “You also don’t have to return unordered merchandise. You’re legally entitled to keep it as a free gift.”

The software…

The software glitch came to light after Sonos’s customers started receiving anywhere from two to five extra devices after placing an order for just one. In some cases, they have even been charged for these unwanted extras. One particularly extreme example saw a customer receive around 30 shipments from Sonos containing roughly $15,000 worth of audio gear. Sonos has been approaching affected customers to offer them refunds where necessary and supplying them with shipping labels to return the extra devices that were sent in error.

But in customer support emails seen by The Verge, support agents haven’t been forthcoming about the fact that customers are technically allowed to keep these additional devices. One customer tried to cite the FTC’s website as evidence that they didn’t need to return the three additional Sonos Roam speakers they received after ordering just one. But the company’s support agent seemingly ignored these comments, and sent returns labels anyway.

Although the freebies will likely be welcomed by some customers, others might just want to get the bulky packages out of their homes. The customer who received roughly 30 Sonos shipments said that the situation was impacting their relationship with their property manager, after the sheer quantity of deliveries meant they were having to leave the packages in their building’s lobby. The customer said their property managers were “being patient” about the situation, but were ultimately “not happy about the boxes in the lobby.”

Source: TheVerge